A site for my handmade cards, accompanied by my photos and written meanderings which are occasionally witty, often tongue-in-cheek, and rarely profound. Beginning in June 2013, you'll also see lots of NBUS, which is an acronym I coined for Never-Before-Used-Schtuff. Feel free to join in, use the acronym, and use up your NBUS too! Thanks for coming by! Have a beverage and enjoy!

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April 24, 2014

Splats of Spring ~ NBUS #123

Hello Again!

Continuing from where I left off yesterday, here is my second card for Nicole's Make It Monday challenge which is "Watercolor Splats." I hope you get a chance to play, too. The only requirement is that you use at least one Papertrey Ink (PTI) product.

The fireworks flowers are NBUS from the PTI "Meadow Greens" set and the sediment is from SU. I watercolored the background using a child's watercolor paint set and added water splats with my brush. The ribbon is Michael's and the two little daisy-covered clothes pins are recycled from an ages-old store-bought birthday tag.

Please click on the links provided if you would like to play along and/or find out about the rules, sponsors, and prizes!

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New Friends Corner

I'm thrilled to welcome these new friends today!

Tracey T. of Cranberry Cards. Tracey has been blogging since 2010. She is a mom, a teacher, a designer, and an award-winning card artist. Her cards are always colorful, feminine, and impeccably constructed. You will be uber inspired when you check out almost four years of consistent craftivity by Tracey!

Susan Zuzarte of Imagine. Create. Express. Susan has been blogging since 2009. Another fabulous designer, Susan has won many awards for her works of art. If you think I enter a lot of challenges, wait until you see the long list that Susan manages to combine! I love her clean and simple card art and I know you will, too!

Eve of The Purple Paper Puncher. Eve has been blogging since 2013. She lives in the UK and is already an award-winning card artist. I know she would appreciate your visit and your encouragement by following her. In turn, you will appreciate the inspiration she provides, so it's a win-win!

Helen of Molecraft. Helen starting making card art in 2007 and has been blogging since 2010. Another team designer and award-winner, Helen's cards are CASlicious, adorable, and inspirational and, boy, I wish I'd found her back in 2010!

Thank you, ladies, and welcome to the Playhouse!!

~~~Friends and Twins Card Art

In addition to your wonderful comments, I was very fortunate to receive Easter cards from a lot of you! I have updated the "Happy Mail" tab at the top of my blog, if you would like to see the newest additions.

I have to take a moment to share with you that the postal services around the world really outdid themselves with this holiday. Not only did the majority of the cards which I sent very late make it to their destinations before Easter, but I received a couple of cards that I can only assume arrived here via the Miracle Express Mail! Check out these cards that traveled from the UK to the USA:

First up is a card where the large and beautiful bling erupted from the envelope in such a way that part of the address was torn. Nevertheless, it arrived safely with bling intact!

Second came this beautiful card that arrived with THREE SIDES COMPLETELY OPEN!

Not only was the card unharmed, but inside the card was a small gift of a clear stamp set. STILL INSIDE, people! How is that even possible?? I usually have rants in my pants about the mail disservice, but I have to give credit where credit is due, so MWAH to the postal peeps this time!

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Finally, with a grandma's pride, here are cards that Adam and Henry made on Sunday. I'm so happy they still love the Playhouse and making cards! (And my Washi tape! Do you think I should enter their cards in the current challenge at The Paper Players?! LOL!)

Adam made a card for his Mama ~ note the prodigal dolphin stamp:

And Henry made a card for his Bama (me):

In the interests of full disclosure, I will tell you that I made the big yellow blossom a long time ago and Henry found it in my stash. All the other elements and design are his work. I consider it a compliment that Henry often writes on the inside, "I love you. I like you." There are times we don't much like the people we love, so to be loved AND liked is the bestest!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy. LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment and/or join as a follower! Please let me know you came by, so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life Is Too Short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling:

Click CTL + Home.Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post.Click Page Down to reach the end of the post.Click Comments and the pop-up box opens.Click Jump to Comment Form; no more car pool tunnel!Mwah!

Wow!! What a great card for the challenges ... Just gorgeous! I'm amazed by your story of your post ... Fancy the stamp set still being inside ... That was lucky!Love the kiddies cards too ... how sweet of them. Thanks so much for playing along at CCCB and have a great day!

I have a serious case of playhouse envy!! As I craft on my dinning room table the annoying thing is the packing away. Hopefully one day I will have a playhouse and it will be the untidiest in the world!! Bliss!

Awesome card, Darnell!! so bright and colorful, love those flowers from that stamp set. What a sweet set of boys you have there!! Yesterday my 6 year old grandson came over with a bag of small "lego's" and we followed the directions to put some warrior and the machine together. I am the "go to" for leggos!! But his thankfulness at the end is what touches my heart!

Your card barely makes first place, next to the ones that shine with LOVE! Adam and Henry are quite the artists, so much fun to watch the grandies play with your stash and see what their wondrous minds come up with.Your happy mail is really happy mail to even have arrived at all....LOL

You most definitely received the miracle mailing of the century with the card and clear stamp set still inside! Kudos to your USPS (unlike the carrier who failed to deliver 45,000 pieces of mail in another state! Love the card with those pretty flowers and great background! well done!

LOVE your card, Darnell! I'm so impressed that you used a child's watercolor paint set, too...it's so pretty, and your bow is just beautiful!

I think it's so sweet that the twins still love to play inside your Playhouse! How lucky they are to have such a fun and crafty gran like you! And, how sweet is Henry to say that he likes you and loves you...you put a lump in my throat on that one!

Thanks so much for another enjoyable post..you ROCK!!! Off to check out your 'Happy Mail'!

Your card is stunning, and the two by your grandsons nearly had me fall off my chair with how awesome they are (I was doing a close up on the screen and leaned a little too far over...). How awesome that your love for card-making has inspired them; how awesome that all of you LOVE x LOVE one another so deeply! Fabulous post, adding mega-sparkle to my day! Hugs~c

Your card is so pretty! And what treasures you received from your grandsons! I like the idea of a tab up top for your Happy Mail...must give that a try. (Get so many great ideas from you) I felt so honored to see my card there too...smile!Now off to visit with your friends...(Now I know why I save your blog for last...I always spend so much time here...

So many things to comment on here. First off, I'm sorry I didn't sent you an Easter card. I got so caught up in making for our 13 homebound people that I neglected everyone else. Second, you have a couple of special grandsons, but then you already know that. Third, you are lucky you got that mail. My postmaster wouldn't even let me send one that had bling that would poke through. And last but not least, your NBUS creation is great, although I'm not sure you can mail that one either. ;)

Darnell you are lucky that the inside of the cars still there and the clear stamp is inside the post...lucky Girl you are...and I wanna say your card for CASology is awesome love the full color on the panel and lovely Purple ribbon and bow..you know what I really looove Purple...also this card is mine (LOL...Joke) great take on the cue card Darnell...hope you like to hop to my Blog today....I made Garden card too...big hugs, Monika

Love your water colour card, great colours and looks really cool but not as cool as the boys cards, now they are really cool. (well don't they all say cool these days)Love it when my boys play in my craftroom.

I love this card Darnell, and these watercolour stripes work beautifully with the pretty overstamping. It's great those cards arrived safely if a little ragged, and the cards your grandsons made are just great, they have obviously inherited your talent. x

Well here I am behind again! I don't know why you don't show up in my list of followers like you should, but it keeps happening. lol And I get behinder (yes, I know, not a word, but I'm making it one now! lol) I love the beautiful colors on this card, and I love those fabulous flowers!! Can't believe your little stamp in that card was still in the card with the envie being torn on 3 sides, so that was pretty dang awesome! And so is the other one that the bling came through on your name. Sometimes the postal people get it right, like this time! I don't think the apple falls far from the tree-your grandsons are excellent card makers like their grandmother! Got much more catching up to do on your blog, so off I go to the next one. lol Hugs

Oh my--love & like--out of the mouth of babes--you are blessed for sure! Your card is beautiful & how fun to see what the boys made & it IS wonderful they like to make cards, too! Cannot believe those packages--Miracle Mail indeed!

Wonderful cards all around, Darnell! Your grandsons are so sweet and they obviously got their card-making talent from you! I am still amazed that that last card you got in the mail survived despite being torn open on 3 sides!

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About Me

I have been stamping and making cards since 2002. I've been married 47 years to Kevin, known herein as "Mister." Our son Daniel and his wife Rachel have twin sons Henry and Adam. Card-making and blogging are wonderful hobbies which have brought me noodles of friends! Oh, and I have an imaginary hamster named Hammy who keeps me in line. Thank you for visiting, joining, and commenting! It will be my pleasure to return the flavor!!